Contact for internal-combustion-engine igniters.



J'. E. GILSON. CONTACT FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE IGNITERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30. 1914.

1 1 92,887 Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

E @ilkmw ,r'r r K rein JOHN E. GILSON, or PoRTwAsnINGTO WIscoNsIN, ASSIGNOR TO GILSON MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, OF PORT WASHINGTON, WISCONSIN.

CONTACT FOR INTERNAL-COIVIBUSTION-ENGINE IGNITERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 1, 1916.

Application filed March 30, 1914. Serial NO. 828,333.

' Engine Igniters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof. 4

My invention refers to igniter mechanism for internal combustion gas engines, its object being to provide means whereby the contact members of the igniter may be adjusted relative to each other in order to take up wear and to preserve the proper sparkgap, whereby the life of the mechanism 18 increased indefinitely. Practice has demonstrated that wear upon the contact members due to various causes will result and that, under ordinary conditions, after the faces of said members have been removed, the distance of the spark-gap is increased to such an extent as to reduce the efiiciency of the device or render it inoperative and, under such Conditions the arms carrying the contact members have to be renewed at considerable expense. By providing the carrying arms with adjustable contact members the above objectionable features are entirely overcome and the life of the device is thus increased indefinitely. Vith the above objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as hereinafter set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a face view of a pair of igniter arms embodying the features of my invention with certain parts in section to more clearly illustrate structural features, and'Fig. 2, a detailed crosssection of the same, the section being indicated by line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring by characters to the drawings, 1 represents the insulated fixed arm of a make and break spark mechanism, and 2 the shiftable companion arm, which shiftable arm is pivotally mounted and under spring tension in opposition to a stoplug 3. The shiftable arm is controlled by a trip mechan sm of any Well known type, which mechanism forms no part of my invention and is therefore not shown. Both the shiftable and fixed arms are provided with transverse recesses or apertures 4, into which apertures are adjustably fitted contact members in the form of plugs 5, 5. The opposite companion contact faces of the plugs are adapted to make and break the ordinary electric circuit, whereby a spark is generated. These correlated contact members are adjusted to provide the proper spark-gap and thereafter locked in their adjusted positions by setscrews 6.

Attention is called to the fact that the recesses in the arms extend therethrough and that the plugs or contact members 5,5, are interchangeable, whereby the sparking points may be reversed, if desired, for renewal. It is also obvious that, while I have shown both of the contact members adjustable, 1n some instances I may, without departing from the spirit of my invention, utlhze only a single adjustable contact member.

The above described arrangement illustrates one exemplification of my invention 1n detail, it being understood that said invention may be varied Within the knowledge of skilled mechanics to accomplish the end in view, which is to provide adjustable contact bodies, whereby they may be moved to compensate for wear due to filing or cleaning the engaging points. It is also understood that the contact members may be formed from any suitablemetal of highly conductive properties such as platinum alloy or the like. v I

I claim:

In a structure of the class described the combination of a swinging contact arm and a fixed contact arm, said arms being provided with bores adapted to aline, cylindrical contact plugs of uniform diameter throughout slidable in the bores, said plugs having each of the ends thereof adapted for abutting engagement with an end of the of Wisconsin in the presence of two Witother plug whereby said plugs are reversible nesses,

and clamping means engaging said plugs to JOHN E. GILSON. hold them in the bores.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing lvltnesses: I have hereunto set my hand at Port Wash- I A. R. BOERNER, ington, in the county of Ozaukee and State OLAF ELTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

